Comedian Larry David has given his strongest public comments yet about the end of his friendship with lawyer Alan Dershowitz.
David said Dershowitz damaged their friendship when he chose to defend Donald Trump. He also said he feels some sympathy for Dershowitz after the death of his son.
The two men were once close friends and neighbors on Martha’s Vineyard. They spent time together at each other’s homes and shared a long personal bond.
That friendship broke down in 2021.
The dispute became public after the two men crossed paths while Dershowitz was buying groceries. Dershowitz later said David refused to speak with him.
Dershowitz said David called him “disgusting” and told him he could not speak with him.
At the time, the incident drew attention because of how close the two men had once been.
Dershowitz said David had visited his home for dinner. He also said the comedian had used the gym at his house.
David has now discussed the dispute in a new profile of Dershowitz.
He said he does not often confront people in his daily life. He joked that he usually avoids such fights unless he thinks he can win.
But his comments soon became more serious.
Dershowitz told the magazine that he was hurt because David did not contact him after the death of his son Elon. Elon died from a stroke last year at the age of 64.
David said the death made him feel sympathy for his former friend.
He also admitted that he regretted not reaching out after the loss.
David then added a sharper comment about Dershowitz’s political choices.
He said he did not want to be too harsh because Dershowitz had become isolated from many people. But David said Dershowitz was responsible for that situation.
David described Dershowitz’s decision to represent Trump as a serious mistake.
“He made a deal with the devil,” David said.
He then joked that the devil had probably not spoken to Dershowitz since Trump’s impeachment trial.
The remark reflects the deep political divide between the former friends.
Dershowitz became part of Trump’s legal team during the president’s first impeachment trial in 2020. He defended Trump during the Senate proceedings.
The lawyer has also represented other famous and controversial clients during his career. His past clients have included Jeffrey Epstein, OJ Simpson and Harvey Weinstein.
His political position has changed in recent years as well.
In April, Dershowitz said he was joining the Republican Party after decades as a supporter of the Democrats.
He said the Democratic Party had become too hostile toward Israel. He described it as the most anti-Israel party in US history.
Dershowitz has also continued to defend his work for Trump in court and in public.
In June, the US Supreme Court rejected his attempt to revive a $300 million defamation case against CNN.
The case came from CNN’s coverage of comments Dershowitz made while defending Trump. Dershowitz argued that the network edited his remarks in a way that made him look mentally unstable.
The Supreme Court’s decision ended his effort to bring the case back.
David’s relationship with Dershowitz has become an unusual example of politics breaking apart a personal friendship.
The two men once lived near each other and spent time together during summers on Martha’s Vineyard. Their relationship later became so strained that they could not speak when they met.
David is best known for creating and starring in Curb Your Enthusiasm. He also helped create Seinfeld, one of the most successful sitcoms in television history.
His public comments about Dershowitz combine humor with clear anger. He appears to regret one part of the broken friendship, especially his failure to offer support after Elon’s death.
Yet he remains deeply critical of Dershowitz’s political choices.
For now, there is little sign that the former friends will repair their relationship.
David’s latest remarks suggest that he can feel sadness for Dershowitz’s personal loss while still believing that his former friend made choices that caused their friendship to end.
